Deepika Padukone on her style equation and fashion

Q. 1 For someone who is an immensely popular style icon, how would you define fashion?
■ Fashion for me is what I believe in. The clothes that I wear should suit my body structure and I should be able to carry it off with ease. I am not dictated by fashion masters telling me, “You should wear this, because it is in trend.” Every individual should just go out there and wear what suits your personality. There’s much more to life than just following trends.

Q. 2 What is your personal style statement?
■ My style has always been simple, very basic. I like my outfits to be comfortable and wearable. It’s been this way since sometime and my style hasn’t changed a bit. You will never see me in anything that makes me feel ill-at-ease. I might experiment with styles like, edgy or goth for my photoshoots, but that doesn’t come naturally to me. My everyday, casual look would be white teamed up with either tan or denim. I like my apparel to be in white or pastel shades. Another colour that I like is coral. Also, I don’t really like accessorising too much. A simple watch or a good pair of sunglasses is enough.

Q. 3 You recently turned designer for a clothing line for the second time. Was it challenging?
■ Yeah, the more you do, the more things get difficult. When I worked on the Autumn / Winter collection, it was the first time and I ended up putting all my ideas, thoughts and creative inputs behind it. When I was told about the Spring / Summer line, I obviously wanted it to look different and take things to the next level. The challenge was to push myself, use various colours, thus allowing each outfit to look unique, not like what someone on screen is wearing.

Q. 4 Is there any luxury or high-street brand that you swear by?
■ I have never been someone who is conscious about the brand that I wear nor have I been loyal to any particular brand. I have never been brand conscious. It’s all about the kind of stuff that I like wearing. Colours, cuts, comfort and style is way more important than anything else. Also, a lot depends on the available collection. But I am definitely more inclined towards high-street wear compared to luxury brands.

Q. 5 Is there anything that you can’t stop shopping for?
■Well, not really. I am not crazy about designer clothes or trendy bags. But I do have a very big shoe fetish (laughs). I can never have enough shoes, probably because my shoe size is big and getting the right pair in my size becomes a big task. So, I end up picking up extra pairs, even if it is the same pattern or colour. My love for shoes is something continued…